By Tadious Manyepo
Dynamos interim coach Lloyd Chigowe continued to make his case for consideration for a substantive role when he showed some tactical prowess at Rufaro yesterday to rescue a point and stretch the Harare giants’ unbeaten league run to five matches.
After a poor start to the game Dynamos had seemed headed for an embarrassing home defeat at the hands of relegated Mutare City who led 2-0 at the break.
Chigowe, handed the reins after the sacking of Lloyd Mutasa in September, made some tactical changes that swung the second half back into Dynamos’ favour.
Relegated Mutare City, with just their pride to play for, appeared to be cruising to victory following two first-half goals by Watch Mafa and David Mangesi.
This forced Chigowe to pull off an-out-of-sorts Gift Saunyama for Brett Amidu at the break.
Amidu immediately engineered DeMbare’s first goal, finding Kudzanai Dhemere whose cross was turned in by Tawanda Macheka to reduce the deficit.
Another of Chigowe’s substitutes, Emmanuel Mandiranga, then delivered a perfect corner which James Marufu headed in to level matters.
Dynamos should have added at least two more goals but Alfred Chiname was unyielding in the visitors’ goal.
The Harare giants remained 11th on the log with 42 points while Mutare City took their tally to 23.
Chigowe lamented his charges’ poor first half showing.
“We have this propensity of starting slowly as you might have seen in the last few games. We start slowly but come back strongly in the second half.
“We did the same today so I am far from happy. It’s a culture that we have to fight and change,” said Chigowe.
“When you play against Mutare City, everybody expects that you have to get a result but when you concede twice, you put yourself under unnecessary pressure. It was not a very good day. The performance was not the one which is expected at Dynamos,” Chigowe said.
He said he was ready to take Dynamos to the next level if given the job on a full-time basis.
“There is a lot of work which we need to do to transform the team. I have always been ready to coach Dynamos since 1992. It’s not the ideal way of stepping to the hottest seat in the land when you are roped in to try and resuscitate the team, but I think I am ready.
“But, having said that, it is an honour to be able to coach a team like Dynamos. It’s a big challenge on its own but I am ready if given the opportunity.”
Mutare City coach Ndega Matsika was happy with the draw and blamed the poor second half showing by his team to a lack of motivation and match fitness.
“It was a game of two halves whereby the first half belonged to Mutare City with the second going to Dynamos. So I believe a draw was a fair result. We lacked match fitness since we are not training. Those are some of the things which cost us,” said Matsika.
“Our game plan was just to sit back and wait to hit them on the counter and we successfully implemented that in the first half but failed to do so in the second period.”
Matsika reportedly had to beg his players in a door-to-door campaign to entice them to travel to Harare to fulfil the assignment.
He, however, only managed to convince 14 players to board the bus.
“Obviously fatigue was starting to catch up with us due to lack of training.
“If you take a look at our team, we had only 14 players and of those four players only started playing today. The players were last paid in April and they are not training.
“The situation is not ideal and with this kind of economy, players can’t go for such a long time without salaries.
“We will be back in the Premiership in 2020. We are confident that we will play well,” Matsika said.
Teams
Dynamos: S. Chinani, J. Marufu, P. Dube, G. Mukambi, J. Tigere, G. Saunyama (B. Amidu 46th min) , M. Mukumba (B. Moyo 80th min) , M. Kaseke (E. Mandiranga 71st min) T. Macheke, K. Dhemere, K. Kumwala
Mutare City: A. Chiname, M. Moyo, G. Jimu, K. Bingala, B. Mushure, J. Chitavira, D. Mangesi, V. Tadzoka, W. Mafa (E. Chikwaikwai, 51st min) , H. Muzhara, T. Kabanda. The Herald
